LEIGHTON Hospital has been congratulated on the progress it has made in combating the 'superbug' MRSA over the last year.

In an assessment undertaken by the Healthcare Commission, Leighton Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary in Northwich were both applauded for the work they had done over the last 12 months to deal with a number of criticisms raised by the commission.

A year on from the publication of the commission's recommendations, the Mid-Cheshire Hospitals Trust is said to be making good progress dealing with MRSA infections, the number of people falling while staying in hospital, and the general level of care of patients.

Trust chairman Alan White said: 'I welcome the feedback from the assessment team. We are confident we have made significant progress against the action plan agreed with the Healthcare Commission.

'The safety, care and dignity of our patients is paramount and I would like to reassure both them and the general public that we are absolutely committed to continuing to implement the commission's recommendations in full.'

The assessment recognised that improvements in patient care had been made, with reductions in waiting times and MRSA rates cut by half in the last year.

Other initiatives put in place to improve levels of care across the trust included an extra £1m to be spent on nursing staff, care 'pathways' to ensure terminally ill patients and their relatives receive high quality support and care, and a complete overhaul of the way complaints are dealt with.

The assessment flagged up the number of patients falling while staying at the hospital was high in comparison to other trusts, but new measures including a falls assessment team had been introduced.

Stephen Eames, new chief executive of the trust, said: 'It will take time before all required changes and improvements are fully embedded.'